Kiel Urban Mueller (July 26, 1944 – December 28, 1990), known professionally as Kiel Martin, was an American actor best known for his role as Detective John "J.D." La Rue on the 1980s television drama ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

.''

Early years

Martin was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and raised in Miami. A 1962 graduate of

Hialeah High School Hialeah Senior High School is a public high school located at 251 E 47th Street in Hialeah, Florida, United States. History Hialeah Senior High School opened in September 1954. In April 2012, Alberto M. Carvalho, the superintendent of Miami-Dad ...

, he was a drama student at Miami-Dade Junior College and acted in productions at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. When he was 18, he dubbed voices for "Mexican fairy-tale movies."

Career

Martin's debut as a professional actor came in repertory theatre in Florida. In the 1960s, he moved to New York and worked as a musician, a dockworker, and a stand-up comedian. After signing a contract with

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

in 1967, he broke 15 bones in a motorcycle accident, requiring 2 years recuperation. Martin appeared in the film ''

Moonrunners ''Moonrunners'' is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', and the two product ...

'', which was the basis for the television series ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

''. In addition to ''Hill Street Blues'', Martin made guest appearances on various television shows between the late 1960s and the 1980s, including '' Dragnet'',''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'', '' The Virginian'', '' Father Dowling Mysteries'', and '' Murder, She Wrote''. He starred in the short-lived 1987 Fox sitcom '' Second Chance'' until its revamping as ''Boys Will Be Boys'' resulted in his character being dropped. He also was a regular on the soap opera ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that netwo ...

''.

Personal life

He was married three times. In 1969, he married Claudia Martin (1944–2001), who was actor/crooner Dean Martin's daughter. They had a daughter named Jesse. The marriage ended in 1971. He was married to Christina Montoya 1978-80. His final marriage was to Joanne La Pomaroa 1982-84.

Death

Martin died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

, aged 46, at his home in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Kiel 1944 births 1990 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Pittsburgh Deaths from lung cancer in California 20th-century American male actors American people of German descent